Broken Chains
by invaderfromearth
Summary: Shigure is in a car accident and is near death. What can Akito do? Serious spoilers for pretty much everything except the very end of the manga... Rated just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfic, so you know the drill. Please read and review! Even flames are fine, so long as you tell me why...Also, this story will have SPOILERS (muahaha) up to chapter 97 at the least, but I've read up to volume 19 so I might lose track...If you don't know who Ren is, you probably shouldn't read this. Just a word of warning, I don't have the manga (or anime) so if something's off...that's why. My beta should catch that kind of thing, but if she doesn't please let me know in a review. I am especially confused on what Shigure's editor's name is...someone tells me it's Mitsuru, and someone else tells me it's Mii...and I can't look it up! Help please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. Really.

Chapter 1: Beginning...

Hatori Sohma backed the car slowly out of his parking space, trying, and failing, to shut out Shigure's voice.

"Haa-san," Shigure said in his most annoying and innocent voice. "I just remembered that I was supposed to be home for my editor today. Do you think you could just drop me off…?"

Hatori's hands tightened on the steering wheel. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he silently counted to ten. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Shigure looked, if possible, even more innocent. "It just occurred to me now. Come on, would you really leave poor Mii-san waiting outside my house with no one to let her in?"

"I was thinking of giving her a key. That way, when you run off, she can at least take your manuscript."

Shigure gasped. "Hatori! You wouldn't! That would destroy everything I've worked for!"

Hatori turned his head slowly to stare at his friend. "That comment was too stupid to be dignified with a response."

"But _Hatori_." Shigure spoke with exaggerated slowness", as if explaining a difficult subject to a small child. "If I were to actually be there with the manuscript done when she arrived, Mii would start to think I'm a nice person."

"God forbid."

"So will you take me…? _Please,_ Haa-san?"

"Don't give me that look. It might work on Tohru, or Aayme, or," he paused. "Actually, I think that's about it. But it will not work on me. Any problems between you and your editor are your responsibility, Shigure, and I am not going to help you torment her. You can use a phone and call her, though."

"YES! You just used the words 'Shigure' and 'responsibility' in the same sentence that was not commenting on my lack thereof! I win the bet!"

Hatori was rapidly losing track of the conversation. "Bet? What bet? And I _was_ commenting on your lack of it…"

Shigure grinned happily and ignored the Dragon's last statement. "Yuki said that he bet no one could find a way to use my name and the word responsibility in the same sentence!"

"…" said Hatori.

"But I won the bet against Yuki! I am the greatest!"

"Don't get too full of yourself. Your ego is big enough as it is. And, I'm sorry to have to break it to you, Shigure, but what were the terms of this bet? For some reason I don't think Yuki was serious."

Shigure sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, the terms of our bet were never announced. But I'm sure we will be able to reach some agreement." He stopped and looked around. "Where are we going?"

Hatori ground his teeth. "To the pharmacy, I told you this before. I need to pick up some medicine for Akito that I have run low on. And before you ask, I will not drop you off at your house to torment your editor. Tohru and the others can take care of her until you get back."

"Why are you taking me to the pharmacy?" Shigure whined. "I don't want to go to the pharmacy!"

"You asked to come with me."

"But that was because you were going to visit Aaya in his shop first!"

"So you should have stayed there."

"_Haa-saaaaan!_

"I can let you out right here if you prefer."

Shigure sat back in his seat and pretended to pout.

Hatori sighed. "For heaven's sake, Shigure."

The Dog smiled. "You had better keep your eyes on the road, Haa-san."

Exasperated, Hatori turned his eyes back to the front. Conversations with Shigure were rarely simple and always required his complete attention. This was not available while he was driving. He shuddered to think about what would have happened if Ayame had been in the car with them. Horrors.

"Hatori, I have need of your cell phone." Shigure said in his best "I'm important" voice.

Hatori looked up, distracted. "What?"

"Your phone. Mii has been at the house for about an hour right now. I need to call and tell her that she will see me soon. You know how she gets when we're separated…"

"She has been there for _one hour_? You left that poor woman there for _one hour_? Have you no shame? Ritsu is staying with you today!"

"I am making her a stronger person." This comment lost all respectability when paired with Shigure's wide grin.

"A 'stronger person?' Whenever I see her she is trying to commit suicide on your porch or sobbing at your feet. And how can you keep smiling like that when you torment her?"

"It's part of her job to deal with people like me."

"I sincerely hope there are no other people like you. And I don't ever remember hearing that dealing with idiots is part of an editor's job description."

"Now it is," Shigure answered happily.

"Is your manuscript even finished?"

"Well…"

Hatori closed his eyes briefly and turned back to the road. Of course Shigure hadn't finished it yet. Yuki was right, the words "responsibility" and "Shigure" could not be used in the same sentence without being mutually exclusive. It occurred to Hatori that he should probably send Mii a gift basket or something. Shigure certainly wouldn't, and maybe if the editor thought someone cared that she put up with Shigure, she would stop trying to kill herself on the porch. After a moment's consideration, Hatori dismissed the idea. Mii was too far gone.

The car stopped at a red light and Hatori dug quickly in his pocket. "Here," he said, tossing the phone to Shigure. "Call your editor. And be sure to apologize for making her wait yet again…"

"Of course." Shigure stared at the phone for a moment. "What is Mii's phone number?"

Hatori made up his mind right then and there that he was going to ignore everything Shigure said from that point on.

Thankfully, the light turned green at that moment. Hatori stepped on the gas almost the second it change and the car suddenly moved forward. Out of the corner of his eye, Hatori saw Shigure's eyes widen.

"Hatori!" He managed to say, half a second before the second car smashed into them. Then there came a sharp, blinding pain, before the world disintegrated into blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: Hello! Sorry this took so long…I had writer's block, and then my beta was on vacation and couldn't proofread. I love excuses. Unfortunately most of my updates are going to take this long, especially when school starts. I apologize in advance! Please review, as usual. If there's something you don't like, let me know, and tell me if I'm staying in character. I will wait for at least three reviews before I think about updating. By the way, don't expect much from Momiji in this story. I have discovered that I cannot write him. Not even if my life depended on it. Which it doesn't, thankfully. Also, I have now read volume 20, and I have decided that I'm not going to use very much of it. The stuff about Akira and Akito I will use, but the rest of it will just make this story too hard. No major spoilers for volume 20, so if you haven't read that volume, you're still fine. Actually, there are just going to be major spoilers for volume 17, I think. But not yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Chapter 2: At Shigure's House

Ayame Sohma flounced into Shigure's house, threw his arms around his brother and, to the stunned faces of everyone in the room, sat down between Yuki and Tohru and helped himself to dinner.

"What the hell are you doing!" asked Yuki in astonishment from under Ayame's arm.

"It looks to me like he's eating our dinner," Hatsuharu answered unnecessarily, reaching unconcernedly for some more rice.

"But what's he doing _here_?" snapped Kyo. "We don't have enough food for him!"

"AAUGH! I'M SOOOO SORRY! I MUST HAVE EATEN ALL THE FOOD! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD...!" With difficulty, the rest of the household ignored Ritsu.

"Oh! It's no problem! I can make some more!" Tohru stood up quickly and hurried to the kitchen.

"DON'T MAKE MORE!" Yuki and Kyo shouted after her.

"Really, it's not any trouble…"

Yuki sighed while Kyo got up to convince Tohru that cooking even more food was not necessary. "What are you doing here, Nii-san?"

"I am awaiting the return of my beloved Gure-chan!" Ayame proclaimed. "I notice that neither he nor his editor is here. Did they leave?"

Yuki frowned. "Actually, we haven't seen Shigure since he left with Hatori this morning. Mitsuru-san came by a while ago, but when Shigure didn't come after an hour, she gave up and left. Weren't they going to visit you or something?"

"Ah, yes, they did visit me. We had such a lovely time in my shop, and Mine was thrilled to see them again."

"How is Mine?" Tohru asked, having been persuaded not to cook again.

"She is doing wonderfully." Ayame looked at Tohru with exaggerated puppy dog eyes. "Although, she has expressed a wish for you to come in again…"

Tohru smiled happily. "I would be delighted to visit again." She suddenly looked worried. "That is, if it's not too much trouble for you."

"Of course it's not! We would do anything for our lovely Tohru." He leaned closer. "Anything…"

"Alright, that's enough!" Yuki cut in, smacking Ayame's head. Tohru looked puzzled.

"Don't worry, Yuki, I would never try to take Tohru away from you…" He pointed wildly at Kyo. "That one, however, is evil! How dare you try to take her away from Yuki!"

"Eh?" said Tohru, worried.

Yuki closed his eyes while Kyo sputtered his outrage. "Never mind, Honda-san. Just ignore him."

"Um, okay."

Ayame surveyed the table. "Why did you make so much food? How many people are here?"

"Too many," Kyo muttered.

Tohru smiled. "Momiji-san, Kisa-san, and Hiro-san are in the other room watching Mogeta. I think Izuzu-san is upstairs, and Hatsuharu-san and Ritsu-san are here. And Kagura-chan is trying to talk to Isuzu-san. So…seven extra people are here. Oh! And you of course, Ayame-san."

"Yay!" Ayame said, delighted. "Are you having a party?"

"NO!" yelled Hiro from the other room. I'm only here because Kisa wanted to come!"

"Let's make it a party!" Momiji said happily. "Everyone's here, so it will be fun!"

"NO PARTIES!" snapped Kyo and Yuki in unison.

"But we couldn't!" Tohru said, worried yet again. "We couldn't have a party without Shigure-san, Hatori-san, and Kureno-san!"

"Why on earth would you want Kureno here?" Kyo asked. "You might as well invite Akito too and we could all be one big happy family. And why is Ritsu here?"

"I'M SORRY! I WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY! I SHOULD NEVER HAVE COME OVERRRRRRR!"

"Shut up in there! We can't hear the television!"

"I…I just thought that Ritsu-san and Kureno-san would like to come!" Tohru stammered.

"Wait…did you actually invite Kureno?" Yuki asked.

"Well…yes. But he said he couldn't come over because Akito needed him. And that everyone else wouldn't be happy if he had accepted."

"Damn right we wouldn't be happy if he was here," Kyo muttered.

"Are you ever happy about anything?"

"Shut up you damn rat!"

"You swear too much, stupid cat."

"Is that a challenge?" Kyo stood up in fighting mode. "Bring it, rat-boy!"

"Eh?" Tohru gasped. "Please don't fight!"

"He's not worth your time, Yuki." Hatsuharu added.

Everyone in other parts of the house put in their two cents.

"Kick his ass, Kyo!" – Kagura.

"AHHHHH! THIS FIGHT IS ALL MY FAULT…" –Ritsu.

"Shut up in there!" –Rin and Hiro.

"Please don't fight in Shigure-nii-chan's house." –Kisa (in a very small voice).

"Hey! You heard her! Don't fight in here!" –Hiro again.

"Out of respect for Gure-chan's house, I mustl ask that you finish him quickly, Yuki." –Ayame.

RING! RING! –the phone.

Everyone stopped yelling and looked at the phone. "I'll get it!" Tohru cried, jumping up.

As she left the room, Haru turned to Yuki and Kyo. "Now, where were we…?"

Tohru came back in just as the cat and rat started their fight. "Um, the hospital is calling." Everyone stopped and turned around. Momiji, Hiro, Kisa, Kagura, and Rin paused and looked over at Tohru. "They want to speak to Shigure-san's closest relative…"

There was silence. "I suppose that can be me." Ayame got up and took the phone from Tohru. He listened for a moment, then hung up and turned back to the room in a rare moment of seriousness. "The hospital says that Shigure and Hatori were in a terrible car accident. They were severely injured, and Shigure is in intensive care…"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** Hi everyone! I'm sorry about the wait...but I just couldn't seem to write this week. School starts tomorrow! Nooooo! Expect long waits before I post. But I promise I won't abandon this story (it really bugs me when people do that). This chapter seemed longer than usual to me, does anyone else notice that? Maybe I am losing my mind. Oh well. I won't miss it. Many thanks to my beta for getting this back to me so fast! And for reviewing, finally. Honestly, it took you weeks...Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! You guys are great. Remember, I love constructive criticism. Also, some of you might have noticed that I listed this under the character Akito. There will be way more of Akito. Really. Oh, and if I haven't mentioned this yet (but I think I have) there are spoilers here about Akito's gender, Kureno's place in the Zodiac, and about Akito's parents. Okay? Don't read if you don't like.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 3: The Main House Gets the News...

Kureno looked around at the sound of the door opening. Glancing over at Akito, who had not reacted at all, he took the phone from the maid and held it to his ear. After the person on the other end hung up, he stared dumbly at the phone in his hand. How was he supposed to tell Akito? She didn't take bad news well, if you put it politely.

Steeling himself, Kureno turned, and jumped when he found Akito standing right behind him.

"Well? What is it?" she demanded.

Kureno braced himself. "Hatori and Shigure are in the hospital."

The expected onslaught of anger at god only knows who did not come. Akito was quiet for a long time, then, "What happened?"

Warily, the former Rooster explained. "At an intersection, someone tried to run a red light. They didn't make it, and hit the side of Hatori's car. Shigure's side. Hatori is going to be fine, he just has a broken arm and they are a little worried about blood loss, but Shigure is the problem. Since the incoming car hit him the hardest, he is seriously injured. He is in the intensive care unit in critical condition."

There was more silence from Akito. With concern, Kureno noted that she had gone dead white.

"Why…" Akito coughed to clear her throat and tried again. "Why haven't they transformed?"

Kureno opened his mouth, and then paused to think about the question. "I…I don't know. They haven't been released, have they?"

"Of course not!" Akito snapped, some of the familiar anger creeping back into her voice. "I would know!"

This was true. Kureno remembered how she was when his curse had been lifted. She had been desperate, hanging on to him as if her life had depended on it. Angry too. But then, Akito was usually angry. Now, however, she wasn't furious at anything, it was more like she was in shock. Kureno had never seen this reaction before, and it worried him. She must be really upset, he thought. Is it because they might die, and not be by her side anymore? Or does she really care about Shigure and Hatori?

Akito turned away from Kureno and went to the window. She stood in silence for a long time, lost in thought. What should she be feeling right now? Akito knew Kureno had been worried when she hadn't started throwing things at him, but for some reason that response just seemed stupid. It wouldn't make Shigure better.

"Where are they?" she asked without turning around.

"At the hospital." Didn't I already tell her this? Kureno thought.

"Oh, yes." Akito said distractedly. There was another long pause. Then she walked back over and opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Kureno asked, surprised.

"Hospital."

"You are? How are you getting there?"

Akito turned to him angrily. "Do I have to spell this out for you? I would think it was obvious. I can't drive, so it looks like you will have to take me, hmm?"

"Yes, of course." Hoping to avoid the almost inevitable fit, Kureno hurried in front of Akito to lead the way. "Do you even know where my car is?"

"I'm sure I can find it," snapped Akito. "And hurry up! We're wasting time here."

"Akito, are you even sure they will let you in? I don't know when visiting hours are."

Akito wheeled around to face him. "Don't say that! Don't you even suggest that! They have to let me in! I have to be able to see him…"

She must really care, Kureno thought. In fact, it almost looks like she's trying not to cry…and this is what she acts like when she doesn't want anyone to know what she's thinking.

Absently, Kureno wondered if she would have cared this much if it had been him in the hospital instead of Shigure. He had been fairly certain that Akito liked Shigure better than him, but since she never showed any kind of affection for anyone, it was hard to be sure. Actually, if he really thought about it, it had been rather obvious in the least obvious way possible (as if that made any sense…Kureno decided not to think too hard about it).

Right in front of him, Akito suddenly stopped walking. Kureno immediately ran into her, but she ignored it. She turned around and walked rapidly in the opposite direction, with Kureno hurrying after her.

"Akito? What are you doing? The car is the other wa-"

Akito cut him off with a sharp jab of her elbow. "Shut up! She'll hear you!"

Briefly Kureno reviewed his reasons for staying with this impossible person, but suppressed the thought that he could leave at any time. Bad thought. Very bad thought. "Who will hear us? The maids you mean? Because I don't think that they will care very much."

"Not the maids, you idiot! Why would I care what the maids think? Let's just go this way."

"Who's there?" Came a voice from the door they had just passed.

"Shut up and keep going," Akito hissed at Kureno, grabbing his arm when the Rooster made to turn around. "Don't let her know we're here."

Kureno could not imagine who it could be that Akito was trying so desperately to avoid. A minute ago, it had seemed like she would have done anything to be able to see Hatori and Shigure (who was he kidding? Shigure was probably the only one she was really interested in seeing), and now that same determination was focused on getting them to the car by the longest route possible. Who did Akito hate enough to avoid like this? Oh, right, Kureno thought as the tall, dark haired woman stepped through the door. There is her.

"Hello, Ren-sama," Kureno greeted Akito's mother politely. "I hope we didn't disturb you."

Ren Sohma scowled and surveyed the both of them. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"We were just leaving," Akito snapped, trying unsuccessfully to drag the much larger Kureno down the hallway with her. "Not that it is any of _your_ business what we do."

"Trouble in paradise, is it?" Ren smirked. "Is it caused by your wonderful bond? Or has your curse somehow fixed the problem for once?"

"Shut up!" Akito screamed at her mother. "You don't know what you are talking about!" She gave up trying to budge Kureno and stormed off down the hall by herself. "If you want to stay here and talk to this..this…Ren, instead to driving me down there, fine. I'll do it myself."

Kureno looked alarmed. "What? Are you going to try to drive by yourself?"

"It couldn't be that difficult. I mean, if _you _can do it…"

"Where was he going to drive you? Aw, was this a date? Did my sad excuse for a child finally get a date? Because you can't go on a date by yourself, Akito." Ren's smirk widened.

Akito looked furious. "Shut the hell up! It's not a date! I don't need to date anyone!"

Ren smiled sweetly. "Of course you don't. You can just tell them to do whatever you want can't you? We both know how well that worked with Shigure." Ignoring Akito's suddenly white face, Ren continued, "How is my sweet Shigure, anyway? What did you have to do to make him stop seeing me? Not that anything you could have done will have any effect."

"Why you…you…You are such a BITCH, do you know that!" Akito screamed at Ren.

Rather belatedly, Kureno decided to try and rescue the situation. "Akito, we really must be going if we are going to have any chance of getting there for visiting hours."

"Visiting hours? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere! Absolutely nowhere!" Akito tried to drown out Kureno's reply.

"Hatori and Shigure were in a car accident. We were going to go visit them in the hospital."

"Oh. I see." Ren looked thoughtful. "I will have to go visit them later. It is too bad that your all powerful God couldn't have prevented this unfortunate accident." She smiled cheerfully. "Goodbye, Kureno."

Kureno nodded. "Goodbye, Ren-sama."

He followed Akito around the corner. As soon as Akito heard Ren's door slide shut, she whirled around and hit Kureno, as hard as she could.

"Why were you polite to her? She doesn't deserve that! She doesn't even deserve to live! How could she have spoken about them like that? And then she said it was all my fault!"

"Calm down," Kureno soothed, alarmed as Akito's voice got louder and slightly more hysterical. "She doesn't know what happened, so don't listen to anything she says. Of course it's not your fault."

Akito scowled and muttered something about Ren that made Kureno very glad he hadn't been on the receiving end of her anger. Well, most of her anger, anyway.

"What are we standing around here for?" Akito suddenly snapped at him. "Remember where I wanted to go?"

Kureno winced and mentally sighed. He had better start heading over to the car. Truthfully, he wanted to see the Dog and Dragon too, even though he wasn't cursed along with them anymore. He frowned. The doctor on the telephone had made it sound like they were really hurt. As he hurried after Akito, he found himself almost praying that nothing too bad had happened…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi everyone! It has been a while, hasn't it? Stupid writers block, and school, and no free time... Well, here it is, finally. Chapter 4...while I was writing this, I thought of a completely different ending...so it might seem different. Or maybe not. Anyway, I hope I will never take this long to update again, but I promise I will never abandon my story! It bugs me when people do that... But look for another chapter sometime this week. (Chapter 5 is already half written anyway...). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

Chapter 4

Akito threw herself into the car and slammed the door hard behind her, still fuming over her most recent fight with Ren. That woman was the absolute WORST excuse for a mother she had ever heard of. How could anyone be such a bitch? How could any mother hate her child enough to pretend her daughter was a boy, scorn the bond that was the most important thing in that daughter's life, and even sleep with Shigure, the one person Akito thought she loved?

She drummed her fingers impatiently on the arm of her seat, wondering how Kureno was managing to take so long. He should know how important it was to get there soon. After what seemed like hours, Kureno opened his door and got in. By that time Akito was gripping the armrest so hard that her hand was cramping, and the rest of her body was almost twitching with anxiety and anger.

Kureno started the car and moved slowly out into the street, shooting a sideways glance at Akito. She ignored him and stared out the window instead, watching as the grounds of the Sohma estate faded into the shops and buildings of the city. Finally, Akito spoke.

"Can't this car go any faster?"

"The speed limit is only thirty, Akito," Kureno answered carefully.

"So what?" snapped Akito. "There isn't anyone else on this road, and I want to get there quickly!"

Kureno winced and tried to explain. "If I speed, we might get pulled over and that will delay us even more."

Akito scowled and fell silent again, waiting anxiously for the car ride to end.

Hatori glanced up from his book as the door opened. Ayame closed the door quietly behind him and turned around to give Hatori a quick, pained smile.

"How are you, Haa-san?" he asked softly.

Hatori sighed. "Well enough. I don't suppose I have anything to complain about. Is Shigure still in the ICU?"

"Not anymore. They moved him to his own room, but he's still being watched," Ayame replied. "The others are in there."

"So he will be alright." It was not a question.

Ayame paused. "Ah…well, Haa-san, they…the doctors don't think so." The Snake stopped and looked away, unable to meet his friend's gaze. Numbly, Hatori noticed the tears forming in Ayame's eyes, his normal teasing, carefree demeanor crumbling. A serious Ayame? Something must really be wrong. "He's in a coma, and he won't wake up. They don't think he can be saved, so he gets his own room so we can all see him before he…goes."

Hatori turned white. Feeling suddenly sick, he stared down the book in his hand, thinking back to the last time he had seen Shigure healthy. In the car.

"Oh God," he gasped as the reality of what had happened hit him. "Oh my God, I killed Shirgure!" Hatori leaned forward, resting his head against his knees, while guilt threatened to consume him. "I did it," he murmured. "My fault, I killed him."

"N-no, Hatori!" Ayame cried desperately, not sure how to handle this. The doctor had warned him that something like this would happen. "Survivor's guilt," they called it. "It can't be your fault, Haa-san! The other car hit _you._" Hatori groaned. "Please, Hatori. We can only take so much."

Ayame smiled slightly as Hatori looked up. "Hey. The Mabudachi Trio needs to stick together, right? Even if one of our members is in critical condition." Hatori's lips twitched in a half smile as he met Ayame's eyes.

"Of course not, Aaya."

They both looked around to see the rest of the Sohma family, plus Tohru, troop in through the open door.

"We're here because Akito booted us out," Haru announced by way of explanation. "He and Kureno just got here."

"B-but that's not the only reason we're here, Hatori-san!" Tohru cried, tears forming in her eyes. "We really wanted to see you too, it's just…"

"…I'm not dying. I know, Honda-san, don't worry about it."

"So, Kureno and Akito are visiting Gure-chan?" Ayame asked.

"No, I actually think Kureno is somewhere in this room," Kagura supplied. "Akito wouldn't let him in, either, so I think he's somewhere over here..." she peered around the room.

"He's out there, talking to the doctor," muttered Yuki. "But I don't think he could fit in here with the rest of us, anyway."

"How are you feeling, Hatori-san?" Kisa asked in a small voice.

Hatori forced a smile. "I'm fine, Kisa. Don't worry about me."

Tohru came up behind Kisa and gave her a hug. "It'll be okay, Kisa-san." Hiro adopted a sullen expression and looked away until Kisa went to him and took his hand.

"Is Onee-chan right, Hiro?"

Hiro shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah, sure. Everything will be fine."

Akito leaned forward in her chair, staring at the man in front of her. The person in the hospital bed barely resembled Shigure. No one should have this many tubes in them. There was one to monitor his breathing, one for his heart, and several others whose purpose she didn't even want to guess at.

She fidgeted, unable to stand the silence. It had to be filled by something; maybe she could sing. Akito immediately abandoned that idea. This whole thing must be affecting her more than she realized if she suddenly felt like singing.

She stood up abruptly and paced the room. It was unbearable, to just stand here and do nothing. She was God, his God, so she should be able to fix him. Akito walked to the bed and stared down at Shigure. Nothing happened. She collapsed back into her chair, smothering a choked cry.

A doctor opened the quietly. "I'm sorry, Sohma-san, but I must ask you to leave in a few minutes. There are more tests we need to run." Akito nodded silently and the doctor left.

Akito stood up again a few moments later. She went over to the bed and gently touched Shigure's face, one of the few places not completely covered by bandages. With one last long look at him, Akito left the room.

She wandered through the hallway, searching for Hatori's room with a detached interest. She found it, and slowly pushed the door open to reveal the crowded room. Akito stood inside the doorway and waited for everyone inside to notice her. Tohru was the first, falling silent and staring wide-eyed at Akito. Soon everyone else's attention was drawn to the doorway too. When all eyes were on her, Akito spoke.

"Out."

"Wha-what?" Tohru asked.

"Out!" Akito growled at her. "Everybody get out."

There was silence. Then, with a collective sigh, the Sohma family and Tohru filed out, leaving Akito and Hatori alone.

"The doctors asked me to leave."

"I'm sorry, Akito," Hatori said softly.

"For what?" She wasn't looking at him.

"Killing Shigure." Hatori could barely choke out the words.

"Is that what you think you did?" she asked noncommittally.

"Didn't I?"

Akito didn't answer. He thought this was his fault? She hadn't even considered it. In fact, she hadn't even thought about blaming someone for this.

Hatori was looking at her, his face carefully blank. Akito scowled. She wasn't the kind of person who would know how to say anything comforting. Maybe could drag the Honda girl back in here and have her do it.

"Not your fault," she muttered, almost inaudibly.

"What?" Hatori asked dully.

"Not your fault," Akito said, a little louder, through her gritted teeth.

Hatori looked stunned. "I…What?"

"Get your ears checked or something!" Akito snapped at him. "I said you didn't do anything!"

An uncertain smile touched Hatori's lips. "Really?"

"How many times to I have to say it?"

Hatori felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. If Akito, of all people, didn't think it was his fault…

"God's forgiveness?" Hatori said, his smile broadening.

Akito groaned and put her head in her hands.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The smile slipped from Hatori's face.

"Nothing," Akito muttered. "I'm going to leave. The others can come back in now." She paused, then turned and left the room, leaving Hatori staring after her with a puzzled expression on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own sick amusement.**

Chapter 5

"Sohma-san?" A doctor called after Akito. "Sohma-san, there is something I must speak with you about." Akito steeled herself and turned around. If one more person told her how sorry they were, she was going to have to hit something.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I am so sorry about your…" he paused and looked down at some paperwork in his hand. "…cousin?" He glanced up at Akito for confirmation. She ground her teeth, trying not to lose it in the middle of a hospital. These professionally sympathetic doctors were the worst. It was incredibly obvious that they couldn't care less about the dying relative of Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so; it was just part of the job.

"Thank you…you are just too kind," Akito forced out through her clenched teeth. Inside she was screaming, but it didn't show on the outside. Who needed those anger management classes Shigure always pretended to sign her up for? She was completely fine.

The doctor favored her with another professionally meaningless smile. "But that's not all I need to discuss with you." He glanced down at the paperwork again. What was written on that thing, anyway? Maybe if she asked, he would show her. "You are the Head of the family, I understand. That means you are the person who will make the medical decisions for" – another look at the paper – "Shigure Sohma-san, if he is unable to."

Everything about this man made Akito want to scream. His detached professional tone and emotions, the way he kept smiling reassuringly at her, as if he could make it all better. And how he needed a piece of paper to remind him of ONE goddamned name! How hard could it POSSIBLY be to remember one fucking name? There were God only knew how many people in the Sohma family, and she had no problem remembering _their_ names. And she wasn't some kind of genius who went to medical school, either.

The doctor who had just earned a place of honor on Akito's "People to Kill" list (he was right up there with Ren, too, and it was hard to find anyone Akito hated as much as her bitch of a mother) was smiling at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. She refused to give him one, staring him down until he let out a small, embarrassed laugh and returned his gaze to the all-important paperwork.

Akito briefly entertained the idea of ripping the paper out of his hand and then watching him try to function without it. Maybe his head would blow up from the strain.

"Akito-san?"

Akito jerked herself out of the increasingly pleasant daydreams (all involving graphic violence directed toward the nice doctor and Shigure not being in intensive care) to stare at her new mortal enemy. "What?"

"Did you hear me?"

No, of course not, you idiot. Akito thought viciously. I was too busy thinking of ways to make your head explode. What she said aloud was, "No, obviously not." This was followed by a very pointed look that said "leave me the hell alone before I do something we'll both regret."

The infuriating doctor ignored the look and smiled again. "You must be a little distracted. Completely understandable." I just bet it is, moron. Like you've ever had a family member in the hospital. "I'm sure you are close to your cousin. As you know, he is in a coma and it doesn't look like he will be recovering." He stopped again and waited for Akito to respond. What the hell did he want her to say? She wondered. Why couldn't he just spit it out? Akito glared at him, determined not to speak until he told her about whatever was so damned important. This response seemed to throw the doctor. It was like he needed constant confirmation that words were coming out of his mouth.

The silence dragged on until Akito just couldn't take it anymore.

"Will you _please_," she snapped suddenly. "Just get to the point?"

"Right, well." The doctor stammered. "It is possible for us to wake Shigure from his coma, for a little while." Akito's eyes widened. "Since it is extremely unlikely that he will recover, we wanted to give your family this opportunity to speak with him before he dies." He stared into Akito's stunned face. "But I must warn you, we can only wake him up for a few hours. Then he'll go back into the coma and probably die soon after. I will leave you to think this over." He abruptly turned and strode away, leaving Akito standing there in shock.

**A/N: Does Akito seem a little OOC in this chapter to anyone? If anybody other than me noticed (because I DID notice, and it bugged the hell out of me) it's because I haven't got a clue how Akito acts when she gets mad in public. I mean, she can't go around attacking strangers, right? Right. Also, I am not a doctor. I have no medical experience whatsoever. I have no idea if any of this is possible (I don't think it is) but if any of you medical school graduates are reading this and have a problem with me making this up, I have one question for you: is it possible for ANYONE to turn into an animal when they are hugged by a member of the opposide sex? I didn't think so. Another thing (last one, I promise), in case it bugs anyone that I tried to make the doctor look like an idiot, I really don't have a problem with doctors. I just happened to be watching the movie Little Miss Sunshine and I wanted to add a character like that announcer guy at the end (does anyone know what I'm talking about? I really hated that guy, so I wanted to make fun of him). So, I want to assure you that I KNOW real doctors aren't this bad in this kind of situation. I know from experience. Please don't flame me about this.**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hi all! Sorry that its been so long...I really have no excuse. This _will _be finished though, so, on the off chance that you are really dedicated to this story, have hope for me! Heh. Here you go, after months and months of careful writing (not really) - chapter 6!

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Akito left the hospital, wandering aimlessly through the surrounding gardens. Eventually she came to a shady spot under a tree and sat so that she was partially hidden from the main path. She drew her knees up to her chin and buried her face in her black pants. For the first time, Akito realized that she had no idea what she was doing. A God was supposed to be able to fix everything, right? If not, then there was no point. Akito pounded her fist ground beside her in frustration. _She_ was God! That meant _she_ had to have all the answers, and know the right thing to do. Usually she had no problem making decisions, but she now knew that nothing else had been as important as she thought it was.

With a sigh she stretched out on her back, staring up at the sky. The stupid doctor had said they could wake him up, for a little while. She hadn't even known this was medically possible, but Hatori said that since the doctors had knocked him out (to keep him from feeling the pain, she guessed) they could wake him up. The point was that if she decided to wake up Shigure, he would probably die faster than if he were left alone, or at least go back into another coma and stay like that forever.

Akito knew this had to be her decision. None of the other Juunishi would touch this one, even if she asked; they were probably afraid she would hate their choice and hurt them. And she would. But that didn't make it any easier. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of her father. If Akira was here it wouldn't be so hard. He could at least give her advice or _something_. Akito's lips twitched. She was actually envious of other people's parents. What must it be like to know that someone would always take care of you? Ren certainly wasn't like that.

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Kureno stepped outside for the third time in fifteen minutes, searching again for any sign of Akito. It had been almost two hours, and she still hadn't show up. Ren, on the other hand, had arrived at the hospital shortly after Akito ran out, and Kureno wasn't sure how much more of her he could take. The woman was even more self-righteous than Akito, and impossible to be around for more than a few minutes at a time. All the Sohmas (and Tohru) had gotten the concentrated dose: one and a half hours of Ren. God only knew what Tohru thought of the family now.

He glanced back inside, saw that no one was watching him, and slipped out. The cool breeze felt good on his face after being stuck inside a stuffy hospital for hours. Kureno strolled down the garden path, glancing around in hopes of finding Akito. Eventually he gave up looking and just stared straight in front of him, pondering the mysteries of life. He was so absorbed that he walked right past the tree Akito was sitting under, and had to turn back after he realized who he had stumbled upon.

He walked up to Akito and stood in front of her until she finally looked up. The look on her face made Kureno regret ever coming to find her.

"Go away," Akito snapped at him.

Kureno raised his hands in surrender. "I was just worried when you didn't come back in."

"Don't be. Now leave me alone."

"Akito, why don't you come with me –"

Akito bent over and grabbed her shoe. "I _said_, GO AWAY! I never want to see your stupid face again!" She threw the shoe at him, hard.

Kureno ducked, but not fast enough. Akito's shoe hit with enough force to bruise, and he retreated. "Whenever you're ready then, Akito," he called over his shoulder.

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Tohru watched Akito and Kureno from a nearby bench. She got up after Kureno left, and walked over to Akito. The whole reason she was out here anyway was to talk to Akito. She knew that the others, especially Yuki and Kyo, wouldn't want her to be out here alone, but Akito-san just seemed so depressed.

Akito rose after retrieving her shoe, only to find the Honda girl right in front of her. They stared at each other.

After a long pause, Tohru spoke. "You will do the right thing, Akito-san."

Akito's eyes flashed with anger. Who did she think she was, anyway? "What do you know?" She spat.

Tohru looked down at the ground. "I…I just wanted to make you feel better."

"Is that right." Akito looked even angrier. "What made you think you needed to do that?"

"You seemed so unhappy." Tohru looked at Akito sadly. "I just wanted to tell you that it will be okay and I think you'll make the right choice."

Akito let out a short laugh. "You don't believe that. I've seen you talk to the other Juunishi and they won't _let_ you believe that!"

Tohru said nothing.

"Tell me, then, if you know so much, what _is_ the right thing to do, hmm? What can I do to make this right?"

"Well, I, um…" Tohru stammered.

Akito's rant was not over. "Could_ you_ do a better job than me? I bet they all think you could, they practically _worship_ you! Maybe _you_ should be God, then. Kyo would like that. You be God, and fix it!"

Tohru couldn't meet Akito's furious eyes. "I…I don't think it can be fixed, Akito-san"

"What are you talking about?"

"I lost my mom in a car accident too. She, um, didn't get better either."

Akito was silent. What, exactly, was her point?

"I still miss her, but I guess I've learned to move on, and I think my life is okay now. It will be like that for you too, Akito-san. I don't think you have to hurt forever."

Akito turned away. "You don't know anything."

Tohru looked worried. "Wha–?"

"You think you're so smart, don't you? So _good_, like you can make everything all better. Well, do you know what, _Honda-san_? I can't stand it! It's just ANNOYING! You can't solve everyone's problems so why don't you just QUIT TRYING ALREADY?" She leaned against the tree, exhausted. It was pointless to try to convince this impossible person of anything, and she was tiring herself out by trying. If she didn't end this conversation soon, Akito was afraid she would actually start crying. In frustration, of course.

Tohru kept quiet, and let the silence drag on. When she spoke again, she had dropped the subject. "Do you know what happened to the people in the other car?"

Akito stared at her, appalled. "The other ca– THE OTHER CAR? Who _cares_ about the other car? I hope they're suffering for what they did to us!"

Tohru stared at the ground again. "Never mind. It's not important." She paused, and, when Akito ignored her, murmured a soft goodbye and returned to the hospital.


End file.
